Pass it On

Yesterday, I served my second stint as an Officer of Election. I was one of those people greeting you at the door, checking you in, handing you your ballot, helping you cast that ballot into the machine, and best of all, handing you your “I Voted” sticker.

I have always enjoyed the electoral process, and when I was asked to be an Officer of Election, I jumped at the chance.

So, there I was, working from literally sun-up to sun-down helping almost 1,900 voters in this particular precinct.

As a result, there are tons of stories and observations and insights from yesterday, but one in particular I thought was worth sharing: Passing It On.

Passing it on.

Somewhere in the early afternoon of Election Day, I was struck by a mother and her two little girls who wanted to take a picture after the mother had voted.

This family was clearly from another part of the world, one that definitely is not a democracy.

This mother was proud of her vote, her right to vote, and more importantly, her privilege to vote. As the three made their way out the door, the mom told her oldest child that, “Voting is a privilege, just like driving is a privilege.”

Too often, we take things for granted in this country. We feel that we are entitled to a certain a way of life.

There was another man who brought his young son with him to vote. While they were making the rounds of the precinct, the father was explaining each part of the process to his son and stressing how important it is to vote.

I even heard a mother on the phone outside calling her adult daughter reminding her how important it was for her to get out and vote, “Remember, every vote matters!”

Seeing all this, I was reminded of what Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Moses was reminding the Israelites of the importance of teaching their children about who God is and what God has done for them.

The instruction is very clear: Teach your children.

Pass it on.

There are a lot of things that we want our children (whether they are your biological children or not) to remember and to understand.

I was encouraged to watch parents impressing upon their children the importance of voting yesterday, but it was a reminder for me that there is something even more important to pass along: a love of Jesus Christ.

This world has a unique ability to get me thinking about a lot of other things besides God, but the observations of yesterday challenged me to prioritize a love of Christ and to pass that love of Christ onto other people.

What about you?

Anyway, I was just thinking…